Tag Archives: Tips

Seeing as this is a fashion school, form always trumps function, right? Well, not really. I scoured the best dressed and hardest working FIT students to see what are the pros and cons of their most important school accessory: the backpack (or satchel, or messenger bag, or tote, or purse, or…you get the idea).

The Backpack:

Pros:

fits everything

comfortable

weather proof

your hands are free to do things

never have to ask someone to hold it

very durable

Cons:

it’s hard to get things quickly (i.e. wallet, phone, id, etc.)

it is not very safe – outside pockets are good for easily locating small things but are vulnerable to pick pockets

you have to take it off in the subway

you tend to knock things over when turning around

backpacks are not always extremely stylish – more utilitarian

The Purse:

Pros:

can use it to separate your personal items from school items

not as heavy/painful

small – not bulky

there are a lot of choices for everyone’s style

Cons:

small – doesn’t hold everything you need

often have to carry extra bags
**every person I talked to with a purse said they only were using it because they didn’t have a class earlier that day

The Carry-All

Pros:

can carry everything you could possibly need

don’t need extra bags

durable

Cons:

very utilitarian – not very stylish

pretty much every fashion design student uses it so it is not extremely personal

Gets used so much that it is hard to keep it in good shape

Hard to keep organized

Forget which brand of laundry detergent or what color bedding you should get. This is the important stuff to consider when packing for the new school year.

Ever since hmm…about third grade we have been told that time management is the most important skill you can posses. Yet, no one ever really explained how to manage time well. I guess it is because everyone works differently, and you can’t really stop someone from procrastinating. There could be a power outage and I would still find a way to avoid doing work.

Despite my procrastinating abilities, it has never created a problem where I didn’t hand in work on time. My issue is remembering to do all my work. I have a terrible memory. It is my hamartia, my Achilles’ heel, my inevitable downfall.

Or is it inevitable? (Hint: it’s not.) After being burned by this once (okay, more than once) I went through the four stages of “efficiency enlightenment”. Step one: Denial – I know I usually have a terrible memory, but this time I’m gonna remember to do this. It’s only one assignment, how could I possibly forget about it? Step two: Get distracted and lose all memory of everything that is important and necessary – Okay time to go home/get a snack/take this Buzzfeed quiz. Step three: Shock and anger – OH !*%#( I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO WRITE/PRINT/FINISH THAT THING!! Step four: Acceptance and enlightenment – Wow, I am so dumb. I am never letting that happen again. Wait, what’s due next class? Lemme write that down.

And there you have it, the secret to never missing an assignment again. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but it works for me. I freaking love planners. I write everything in them – due dates, ideas, random notes, schedules… you get the picture. Usually I try to get my hands on an FIT planner, which is much more official than the one I’m using now. It has all the actual dates with space to write assignments, little calendars, quotes from famous people and pictures of FIT student’s work, which is my favorite part. They give them out to freshmen at orientation, just one of many fantastic reasons to actually go to orientation. Usually, they have the extras at the Student Life center where I swipe them from, but this year there weren’t any! So, I had to improvise. It’s almost nicer because I have more room for random notes, which I have a lot of surprisingly.

But everyone knows the best part about writing down everything you have to do is crossing it out. Nothing feels better than making a nice big scratch across an assignment that has been taken care of. One less thing to do! I am also a big fan of circling and underlining the important/usually forgotten stuff. Do you guys have any tricks for getting work done?

While many dread the planning and prep and stress of registration, I LOVE IT. I love being able to schedule my life and know how my following semester is going to look. I thrive on planning and organizing so registration is my Christmas. While I have made a post on registration every time it rolls around, there are important points to reinforce and introduce (and who wants to dig through thousands of posts):

Talk to your academic advisor
Make an appointment with your academic advisor even if you know what classes you have to take. It is comforting to have your schedule and courses solidified by those who know best. Also, for those who don’t know, not all courses are available to all majors – including liberal arts. Therefore, it is best to make an appointment before you register! Here is the link to make an appointment: http://www.fitnyc.edu/13575.asp

Plan AheadOnce you have the classes that you are planning on taking, make up your schedule. Map out a tentative schedule and plan out your biggest/most important/longest classes first and revolve your classes around that.

Write down the CRN codesThe CRN codes are the first things that you can type in to register for all your classes. If you have all the CRN codes for your classes, you type them in when it’s your registration time, hit submit and you’re all set.

Be flexibleThis one isn’t the easiest, especially for me. Sometimes you won’t get the classes you want so you have to be prepared to move your schedule around.

Don’t stressRegistration is exciting because that means you are one semester closer to graduating. Keep your chin up and know that winter break is soon!

Being a student aide in the Student Life offices has really opened my eyes to all the events that are constantly taking place on campus. The Student Life offices are located on the 7th floor of the Dubinsky Student Center. Here are some perks of visiting the Student Life offices:

Movie tickets are sold 2 for $16 to any AMC movie theatre

Broadway show tickets are sold every couple of weeks. Be sure to check those weekly emails!

There is a Breast Cancer walk this Sunday! Here is the link if you want to sign up: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=38287345&fr_id=62564&pg=personal

We are distributing tickets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-2 to when Girl Code (YES the MTV show) comes and does a show here at FIT!

We can provide contact information if you want to join a club!

There is almost always an event happening in The Center and it usually involves free food.

We have a massive game room that is basically any kid at heart’s dream world.

If I have learned anything from my experiences working, I know that the two things that are most important for any job are good writing and speaking skills. Yet, no one is born a talented speaker or writer (I don’t know if you know this, but babies literally cannot speak or write!)

Fear not! If you feel that your skills are not up to par there is help available! The Writing Studio (located in Feldman Center Room 612) provides a collaborative process to enhance each student’s abilities and personal voice, not just edit papers. Although there are some professional tutors on staff, most of us are also students that have been carefully evaluated and selected. I say “us” because I am a tutor at the writing center!

I think the fact that it is peer tutoring is actually very helpful. We can relate to you about stress, school work, life at FIT and probably answer most of your questions about anything, not just writing. We also have insight into some of your classes, teachers and experiences here.

Brian Fallon, Director of the Writing Center

It is easy to make an appointment (you can also do a walk-in, but if we are booked we have to honor our scheduled appointments first). Just log in with your FIT username and password, go to the day and time you want to meet, and fill out the form that pops up. (Be sure to check everything especially the time. It automatically makes the time for 15 minutes so if you want more you will have to change the drop down box)

We help with brainstorming ideas, organizing papers, helping plan research, and even with personal writing and resumes. Often, we work with ESL (English as a Second Language) students who are not used to writing papers in English.

Some tutors also provide the option of online tutoring, which can be helpful for commuting students. If you want a little guidance but cannot make it into the writing center be sure to check out the writing guides we provide.

Or you can come in and say hi to me! Either way, you get all this for the low, low price of…free!

This past week I got to practice my French with students from Paris and learn some Chinese words with students from Hong Kong. How did this all happen? One short answer: hard work and dedication (I said short, not easy). Let me explain myself, I received an email with the subject “To my Best Students (A Students)” from one of my incredible ITM professors inviting me to a seminar carefully crafted by Pamela Ellsworth the Chairperson of the Global Fashion Management Masters Program at FIT. When I read through the email and saw the list of guest speakers I realized I had struck gold with this opportunity. At the same time, I realized I had limited knowledge about this program’s offering, so here I have it for you (served on a silver platter).

FIT’s Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Global Fashion Management prepares emerging fashion executives for top managerial positions in the burgeoning international fashion industry.

Offered by FIT in collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong and Institut Français de la Mode in Paris.

Intensive ten-day seminars on each campus, you will gain a comprehensive view of the interrelationships among the various segments of international fashion businesses and the technology that drives them.

The program focuses on leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and the global marketplace, you will graduate prepared to assemble and manage international teams of professionals within an organization, and to guide an organization through the unchartered waters of international business efficiently and profitably.

Is completed within 18-months. Class structure is interactive and flexible, and includes intensive seminars, online learning, guest speakers, and site visits.

open to candidates with a minimum of three years of professional experience in retail, design, marketing and merchandising, import/export, fashion journalism, or other related field.

Click here to find out more about an international education on three continents. Also their open house is coming up, be sure to register by clicking on the image.

Some of the incredible guest speakers:

Bill McRaith, Chief Supply Chain Officer, PVH

Michael Appel, Retail Consultant

Paul Price, CEO, Creative Realites

Janice Sullivan, CEO, EDUN

Professor Sarah Labowitz, Stern School of Business, New York University

Going from Nagler Hall to Kaufman, I was clueless as to where to grocery shop, where the cheapest food was, the healthiest food, the closest location, etc etc. I was so used to my meal plan and occasionally going to Fairway for a few snacks and breakfast bars. Now that I’m a full fledged dorm with a kitchen and without a meal plan, I quickly learned the dynamic and food demographics of each of the lovely grocery stores around the area.

Trader Joes – my personal favorite. Your one stop shop for all things healthy, organic, and reasonably priced. They have a phenomenal produce section. While they don’t have the name brand snacks and goodies but they have their private label brand that is just as good if not better. A slight hike from Kaufman but a nice stroll from 27th located at 675 Avenue of the Americas between 22nd and 21st. MUST TRY: Way More Chocolate Chips Cookies

Whole Foods – aka Whole Paycheck. If you want the healthy, high end, organic food, make your way over to Whole Foods on 250 7th Ave between 24th and 25th. MUST TRY: Whole Foods Peanut Butter

Fairway – the holy grail of amazing prices and your one stop shop for name brand with a side of healthy. Stray away from their produce however (speaking from personal experience). Their organic section is phenomenal and if you are a lover of protein and nutrition bars, Fairway is the place for you. Located at 766 Avenue of the Americas between 26th and 25th. MUST TRY: Anything Annie’s Organic

Gristedes – all the food, all the brands! You can find all your typical, savory indulgences at Gristedes. The prices are a little steep so head to Fairway before you head to Gristedes. It is the most convenient out of all the other shops on the list located at 307 W 26th and 8th ave. IMPORTANT: THEY HAVE PILLSBURY HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES IN STOCK.

Ideal Market – convenient for the Kaufman folks, but the selection isn’t all that great. If you are in desperate need of eggs or craving some cookies and don’t want to trek out to 6th ave, Ideal Market is there for you in times of need. There is an FIT discount, but it is very slight. MUST TRY: They have an amazing bakery section.

FIT has endless blogs, Twitters, Facebooks, Instagrams, etc. so feel free to comment with one you found and particularly liked and I will keep updating this list. These were just some highlights I thought most would find helpful and interesting.

Camus to Caravaggio. Da Vinci to Darwin. Aristophanes to Zappa. Know who they are? You should. Because a well-rounded knowledge base is the sign of an inquisitive mind — and a solid liberal arts education is the best way to work that muscle – FIT’s School of Liberal Arts

Despite the fact FIT is an extremely specialized arts college, everyone here still has to take math, science, English and even phys ed. Yes, every FIT graduate has to complete two gym credits. This is because FIT is a SUNY school (State University of New York) and since we receive funding from the government, we are required to follow some of their rules. At first, this may seem very annoying and you are not going to want to do it. Hey, I feel you. Did I want to take another math or science class after high school? No. Did I drag my feet everyday to those classes when I took them here? Yes, but it wasn’t that bad, I promise.

In fact, I think that the liberals we have to take make for a nice break from the never ending deluge of fashion we are under (or photography, or graphic design, or interior design…you get the picture). Sure, you may not enjoy all the liberal arts classes you take, but I bet you will really enjoy a few. Because we are required to take so many liberal arts, it actually makes it easier to complete a minor, which can really bolster your degree.

You can declare a minor after completing five courses (or 15 credits) from the specified classes for the minor you choose. If you have transfer credits coming in from high school or another college, plus the class or two you are required to take in that subject here, you may already be more than halfway done!

I personally have finished an Art History minor and am one class away from finishing my Fashion Studies minor, and the classes I have taken for those have easily been my favorites. Yes, it is more hours of class, but knowledge and better understanding of the world outside your major’s industry can greatly impact the success of your work and make you a more rounded person. If nothing else, speak to your adviser and see how many classes you would need to complete a minor, you never know, you could be only one class away!

Fashion Studies minor example

FIT offers minors in English, Speak & Communication, Modern Languages & Cultures, Film, Media & the Performing Arts, Science, Math & Economics, History & History of Art, and Sociology, Psychology & International Politics. For a complete list of classes click here. There are really interesting and engaging classes so I encourage you to check them out. (side note: if you want descriptions of the classes you can copy the course number – i.e. HA 347 – and paste it into the search bar at fitnyc.edu)

Welcome back all, or I guess welcome back to me after a long eventful summer. I thought long and hard about what my first post back would be, and it’s something very near and dear to my heart, Suicide awareness .

Just a few days ago I lost someone that was my best friend in high school to suicide . Everyone was shocked to find out what had happened because he never showed any of the signs, never mentioned to anyone anything was bothering him or anything. He was the happiest kid you could meet, and loved anyone that came across him.

Getting back to school and getting adjusted to new surroundings can be difficult sometimes. Or Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend whatever it may be. Life happens but nothing that’s going on can’t be fixed! Every single person out there is beautiful inside and out, and has an amazing life waiting for them. There are so many people in your life that love you so incredibly much. When my friend passed his wake was filled with all kinds of different people I never knew he was even friends with. He touched so many peoples lives without even knowing it, just like you do too.

So if you know anyone who has been depressed, please contact someone and look out for these signs:

Preoccupation with death.

Suddenly happier, calmer.

Loss of interest in things one cares about.

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye.

Making arrangements; setting one’s affairs in order.

Giving things away, such as prized possessions.

Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself.

Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or buying a gun.

Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.

Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.

Talking about being a burden to others.

Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.

Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.

Sleeping too little or too much.

Withdrawn or feeling isolated.

Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.

Displaying extreme mood swings.

If you or anyone else you know is experiencing these symptoms let someone know. Tell a parent/ guardian. If your at FIT you can go to the Counseling Center located at A212B or call them at 732-217-4260 or you can call the National Suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255. If you ever need to talk , your having a bad day? you can also contact me and I will be there for anyone that needs me.

This month in honor of suicide awareness month and everyone who has lost a life, a loved one please wear yellow or write love on your wrist , just one day this month.